Video: Internal decapitation survivor meets rescuers

Rachel Bailey's skull was severed in a car accident

PHOENIX — An Ariz. woman has been able to thank the firefighters who saved her life after she suffered an internal decapitation during a car crash.

Rachel Bailey, 23, severed her skull from her spine during a car accident in Sept. last year, according to AZ Family. Without the swift action of the firefighters, Bailey could've died or suffered lifelong paralysis.

"You're the unsung heroes. I can't express enough gratitude," she told the group of firefighters when she visited their firehouse this week.

After the accident, Bailey spent a month in the ICU, but is recovering well. She is now able to walk and talk again, but she has no memory of about a five-week period around the time of the crash.

"It's emotional to see her and see her doing so well," Fire Capt. Wayde Kline said.

Capt. Kline was one of the firefighters who help Bailey at the site of the crash.

"As firefighters, we often see patients at their worst. This reminds us the people we take care of are someone's son, daughter, mother, or father," he said.

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